Run Walk Marathon Strategy by @runningproject

Image of me being reduced to a walk(No Photos Please)

My preparation for the Samoan Warrior Race was less than perfect, but I felt I'd made the best of my time leading up to the race to get the most out of my body for the 70.3 mile triathlon. The previous year I'd spent some time in the sauna in the lead up to get used to racing in humid conditions. Even though I raced well in the previous year, I felt it was not really beneficial, so I skipped that part of my training this time around. I was wrong...I got off the bike ready for my half marathon and as soon as I started to run, my heart rate jumped and after a short period of time was reduced to walking.

Although calling it a day and pulling out of the race crossed my mind, I remembered a friend of a friend who had recently introduced me to the concept of mixing running and walking as a race strategy. Will O'Connor a runner with a PHD in Sport Science runs Performance Advantage in New Zealand and recently ran 2 hours and 43 minutes or a marathon using a combination of running for 19 minutes and then walking for 1 minute.

Links to O'Connors Run Walk race can be found here

If you haven't heard of the run walk method, the theory behind it basically states that by using this approach in a race, you allow the body to preserve itself early in the race to then finish strong. The 1 minute walk breaks allows your cardiovascular and metabolic system to catch up. Walking for short periods also allow for different muscles to be recruited and it gives you a good opportunity to digest fluids and nutrition taken during the race.

O'Connor provides a lot of detail on his racing and training on his site but makes it clear that like any plan or pacing strategy, it is something you need to train with to make sure you get the full benefit. As well people need to remember there are other factors on the day that could affect their race times and performance.

For more information on Performance Advantage and their training plans, click here.

Back to my Warrior Race and I ran one of the slowest half marathons I had ever run, but was pleased to finish. I started with a walk for one minute, then a run for one minute and continued that until I felt I could keep running for a little further. Although it was far from the run for 19 minutes and then walk for 1 minute plan, I was fine in the knowledge there was no shame in walking during the race as long as I finished. I was still managing to keep my pace around 6 minutes 20 seconds per kilometre which surprised me, but gave me some insight into what the pacing strategy could allow you to achieve.

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